Abercrombie & Fitch in Milan

Short visit to Milan, one of my favourite cities in the World, because of its elegance and charm, the professionalism of its people, the way everything works to perfection and, of course, its SHOPS!

On a tiny square of only four streets long you can find all the boutiques of the mayor fashion designers from Italy, France, England and the US.

Our walk begins on the legendary Via Montenapoleone, all the way to the corner with Via Sant'Andrea, where you'll find Café Cova, a mandatory stop to rest from the shopping spree with a buon cappuccino and one of its unique sweet pasticcinis.

Then, continuing on Via Sant'Andrea, you'll see, one next to the other, Chanel, Hermès, Fendi, Michael Kors, Prada... all of them squeezed in one hundred meters... such a sight for sore eyes!

Make a turn on the famous Via della Spiga (pedestrian street) and you'll find two Dolce & Gabbana stores, two Roberto Cavalli shops, one Gio Moretti and a concept store with one-of-a-kind outfits. They are followed by as many jewelry stores as you can possibly imagine...

It is always a pleasure to come here and walk around these world-famous streets... except that they are empty now: few people passing-by and no-one in the stores!!

What is going on?

I ask this to my friend, Adriana, a true "Milanesa" and a manager at Les Copains, a good clothing label.

She tells me we are facing great changes in our relationship with fashion and women, due to the global recession, no longer feel like spending a lot of money on clothing nor investing on key classical pieces to wear over and over. Everything now is about buying outfits and accessories that make a statement from low-cost retail stores as Zara, H&M and Topshop.

She then takes me to take a look to the new fashion temple in Milano...

Not far from the golden streets of fashion, in the corner of Corso Matteotti and Via San Pietro dell'Orto, behind a huge front gate, rises the new pride of Milano: Abercrombie & Fitch.

Voilá where people were hiding!

Long lines to get inside, as in NYC, and gorgeous guys in their twenty-somethings, wearing unbuttoned plaid shirts (in spite of the cold), to welcome you to the store. And once inside, beautiful girls in the casual sexy look that shapes the spirit of the brand, created in 1892 by David T. Abercrombie and Ezra Fitch, two Americans who loved trekking and out-door recreation. The label was modernized a few years ago by Michael Jeffries and it became something of a cult thanks to some few secrets: as I said. beautiful men and women welcoming shoppers, sexy-but-not-tacky outfits, and above all, low prices.

Every store in the world feels the same: extremely-high music, scented air, and an American-sporty look circa 1892 decorating the walls.

It was common to ask for an A&F t-shirt to all those travelling to the States.

Now, Milan has its very own A&F Temple and in 2011 so will Paris.

As I wait in Milan's airport, I see that 1 of 5 fellow travellers carry an A&F bag...

Tiziano, Tintoretto, Veronese...

After waiting since its opening (on September 17th!) to get tickets, today I finally visited the exhibition "Titien, Tintoreto, Véronèse... Rivalités à Venise," at the Louvre.

I must say it was worth the wait!

Absolutely marvellous!

Such a privilege to be able to enjoy these Masters of the 16th Century Venetian Art (the Golden Era of Venice) together, with their painting gathered according to subject, so that we visitors can compare their diverse visions on the world, their technics and personal use of color. One can even dare to chose the best... among the best in Art History!

I was personally impressed by Tiziano (Titian) and his paintings. They were outstanding because of his outlines and portraits... in many you can even feel the souls of those being portrayed. And what can I say about his Danaë? The whiteness of her skin, her celestial curves... almost as beautiful as his "Venus with a mirror."

It was amazing to see his "Pilgrims of Emmaus," a subject the three of the Masters painted, and that in this exhibition are shown side by side, so that visitors can appreciate each version and its differences...

Of course, I still prefer Tiziano's...

Tintoretto's Pilgrims of Emmaus

Tiziano's Pilgrims of Emmaus

Veronese's Pilgrims of Emaus

Tiziano Vecellio was Michelangelo's pupil and became so talented that even Charles V visited him at his studio. Shocked by his presence, Tiziano dropped one of his brushes, and the Emperor himself kneeled to get it for him!!!

Some say that's how his downfall began... but that's another story...

Unfortunatelly, this incredible exhibition will be open til January 4th, 2010.

What a pity.

Tiffany in Paris

Fancy dinner party at the private residence of the US' Ambassador in France to honour the 10th Anniversary of the opening of the first Tiffany boutique in Paris.

As usual, wonderful American organization.

Mandatory ID to get inside the Residence, located on Faubourg St. Honoré, not far from the Elysium Palace.

Time: Arrival 7:30 pm, departure 10:30 pm.

One hundreds guests only.

Two long tables, standing side by side, with 50 people each, both of them decorated with Tiffany's light pale blue and centerpieces with white orchids and crystal candelabra, also signé Tiffany. So were the silver serving pieces and the china. Because Tiffany is not only a Jewelry store but it also is, and has been since President Lincoln, the provider of table sets to the White House and its Presidents. So Ambassador Rivkin told us in his warm speech. As you can see, there's always been a close colaboration between Tiffany and the US Government.

Dinner was exquisit: souffle as an entreé (for a party of a 100!) served coordinately to everyone at the same time by disciplined valets. And chocolate simphony as dessert.

Guests?

Some princesses, many well-known journalists, as Claire Chazal (TF1 News host), Ambassadors of fellow countries (the English Ambassador spoke wonderfully about his recent visit to Buenos Aires), business-men, mannequins (as Farida), top-models from the 80s... and many more.

What I wore?

Oscar de la Renta, of course... what else?

Montepulciano

Just for a two-day visit, today I came back to my home-town. Well, it's technically more than just my home-town.

Wikipedia would say that Montepulciano is a medieval and Renaissance hill town and commune in the province of Siena, in southern Tuscany (Italy). It has an elevation of 605 m, sits on a high limestone ridge, and it is inhabited by 13.870 people.

It has one of the most important architectonic masterpieces of Humanity, the Sanctuary of the Madonna de San Biagio, built between 1518 and 1545 by Antonio da Sangallo The Elder. It has a circular (central) plan with a large dome over a terrace and a squared tambour. The exterior, with two bell towers, is built in white travertine. Turists, specially in Summer, come from the four corners of the World.

In Montepulciano, apart from my sister and I, in 1454 was born Angelo Ambrogini, known as Il Poliziano, one of the most important Humanist poets of the Médici Era.

Montepulciano is also well-known by its red wine, the Nobile di Montepulciano,  an excellent chianti, produced in many of the vineyards sorrounding the city.

Except for some minor changes, everything looks like it was back in 1500, and in this particular November night, cold and humid, with no turists in sight, it seems as if time has not gone by at all.

But from November 18th, Montepulciano will be known by many others.

That will be the date of the world premiere of  "New Moon", the second installment of the Twilight Saga.

As it happens, the movie has key scenes that were shot here, in Montepulciano, during March and April of this year. Its Medieval streets, its Piazza Grande and its aristrocratic palazzos were used as scenarios.

If the movie has the success everyone predicts, next summer we'll be invaded by turists and vampire-lovers.

What a shame.

Autumn in Paris.

First week of November... and such vivid sensations...

To begin with, the beautiful colours of Autumn, with its yellows, its reds and oranges in every tree of the many Parks of the City: the Parc Monceau, the Butte de Montmartre or even the Jardin de Luxembourg, with its many ghosts of past artists throughout the centuries. Writers as Gérard de Nerval, poets as Baudelaire, paintors as Modigliani or even Françoise Sagan, who lived in front, spent time at le Jardin. Such a leyend, really.

But around these days you can also see some very premature Christmas decorations and the very first sales at the big department stores such as Galeries Lafayette or Printemps. We are on the 8 of November... Sales already? Even offering 50% off? Some labels try to resist them, but most of them play by the new rules of the market. Everything better than getting stuck with merchandise!

Sales at Printemps!

The recession here has been strong and you can feel it everywhere. For example, restaurants around town have reduced the TVA tax from 16,90% to 5,50% and have even cut off some prices on the menu to get some clients back to dinning out. You can also see the crisis on the many no-funds checks than have been given by so many desperate pleople... Never has there been so many as this year!

But appart from all this, the first weeks of November are famous in France because of the many Literature prizes being given out these days. The most wanted one is the Prix Goncourt, the dream of every writer, which this year was awarded to Marie NDiaye, quite a surprise for women seldom get this prize. In fact, the last one to receive it was Paule Constat in 1998. There's also the Prix Renaudot, which was given to Frédéric Beigbeder, for "Un roman francais", my very favourite one! The Prix Flore, organized by the legendary Café Flore, was awarded to Simon Liberati, while Jean Marie Blas de Robles took home the Prix Medicis. To be announced are the winners of the Prix Fémina and the Prix Interaillé...

... And so, after that, another season would have gone by...

My favourite, Frédéric Beigbeder

Halloween in New York

This weekend New York was hot... You'll see why!

As you probably know, on the night of October 31st., everyone here celebrates Halloween. For US it is almost like a National Holiday. Halloween has its roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain and the Christian holy day of All Saints. It is said that it was the Irish immigrants who trasnfered versions of their traditions in America during the Famine of 1840. The word Halloween represents a Scots variant of the fuller All-Hallows-Even, which means the night before All Saints Day.

For Halloween everything turns black and orange, kids go around the neighbourhoods trick-or-treating, cinemas and TV channels showcase horror-movies marathons, and there are costume parties everywhere.

No city celebrates Halloween as New York.

Since I got here, early in the morning, I got to feel the Halloween spirit first-hand: all the staff and employees of the Airport greeted visitors dressed as vampires, witches and huge pumpkins. And it was six in the morning!!

Parties in the Big Apple had begun earlier, on Friday Night actually and, since September, about 725 "Pop-up Shops," selling tricks and costumes literally poped-up in key places around the city. They will last till the first week of November. Why? Because of the recession, of course. As many shops had to close, owners prefer to rent the free spaces temporally. After Halloween, they will become All-Christmass boutiques.

I saw many of this shops in Downtown and I was surprised by the fact that the biggest selling masks were those of Michael Jackson and Bernie Maddof... a dead and a convict!!!

The best shop for costumes and make-up, I have to say this, is definitely Ricky's on Broadway.

Halloween in New York is real fun, everyone gets dressed and yesterday we had a lovely mild weather to enjoy it.

Walking down 5th Avenue towards the building I was staying at, around 5 pm, people passed me by dressed as witches, vampires, monsters and even as sado-masochists!

As I got closer, I saw a huge crowd surrounding the building while ambulances and fire trucks were stopping the traffiic. The appartment below mine was on fire!!!!!

They already were evacuating everyone, many barefoot or half-naked, as if they were just taken from their showers. The fire-fighters (many!) looked so Nicolas Cage or John Travolta!

Tourists took pictures and some even called their hometowns to tell everyone the huge adventure they were witnessing...
I sat on the steps of St. Patrick's Church to wait... I even got to meet many of my neighbours.
Finally, a couple of hours later, the Fire-Fighter-in-chief, with its incredible suit, allowed us to get back inside. No mayor damages, thanks God.
But what an advenure!

This morning, under a light rain, the 2009 ING New York Marathon was held around town: 42 km from Staten Island to Central Park and almost 40.000 runners. By far, the most popular marathon in the world!
As usual, an Ehiopian-born Meb Keflezighi won the Men's Marathon (but he's an american now) and another Ethiopian, Derartu Tulu, won the women's.
It's a fact: next year I'll run it too. I'll start training right now, going down as fast as possible the 25 floors of my NY building.
You never know... Where there was fire...